Hetalia One Shots
by Ameleia
Summary: A series of one shots within the Hetalia fandom. You may request couples by private messaging me and I will do my best to write one for them! This will be updated sporadically, whenever I have ideas or have requests. Rated T for now, just to be safe. The characters listed are just characters that show up in the first chapter.
1. Happy New Years- Prumano

Before Gilbert even drove up to Alfred's house, they could hear the thrum of a bass drum from a block down. "Kesese, that's Alfred for you, this party is going to be so awesome!" He said with a grin, glancing over at his brother. Ludwig gave a small nod, though he looked semi-reluctant to be going. That is, until Feliciana squeezed his hand with a soft smile.

"Ve, It's going to be so fun! We're going to have a great time," she insisted, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Ludwig's cheeks turned rosy and Gilbert let out another signature laugh of his. Feliciana had grown on him. Sure, he'd always liked her, but he appreciated her all the more for getting Ludwig to do things that Gilbert normally had quite a hard time getting him to do. Not to mention, Feliciana had helped him get closer to Katarina.

A smirk fell onto his lips just at the thought of his sweet little Katzchen. He was all ready to ask her to come to this party with him and be his date, only to find out that Antonio had already asked her. Now that was an unawesome problem. Gilbert was in danger of breaking bro code, and that was something he just couldn't do. But every time that woman looked at him, she took his breath away.

Gilbert refocused with a start as the taxi pulled up in front of Alfred's house. "C'mon Gil!" Feliciana tugged on his arm until he was out of the car.

"Hey, hey I'm coming, don't pull on the shirt, I just ironed it."

"You're as silly as Luddy sometimes," Feliciana said with a teasing smile, taking both men by the arms and pulling them forward to the front door, where Ludwig rang the bell. The trio was dressed smartly, Gilbert and Ludwig in black dress pants, with Ludwig wearing a white button up collared shirt with suspenders that accentuated his toned figure. Gilbert, on the other hand, went for a deep blue collared shirt with the first few buttons undone to showcase his iron cross necklace (and perhaps his awesome chest). The brothers had quite a different style in every way. Gilbert was much more casual, his hair an attractive mess, while Ludwig stood rod straight with his hair slicked back. And yet, they both looked quite well, especially with the lovely Feliciana on their arms. She wore a floral dress that was tapered until the skirt, which spread out in a very fifties style manner. Ludwig found her short sleeved, bright dress very attractive, and so did Gilbert, though the latter did comment that it looked far too Spring-like for a New Years Eve party. And he was right, as Feliciana clung to Ludwig's arm for warmth until the door was answered.

"EY! Gil, Ludwig, Feli, welcome!" Shouted the overenthusiastic American once he had (finally) opened the door for them. "Come on in! The party's just starting!"

Gilbert moved forward into the crowd of people immediately, edging past Feli and Ludwig to walk with Alfred. "Mattie's our DJ," Alfred shouted to him, and Gilbert laughed, looking towards the other end of the large room to see the Danish man jamming out to the music he'd picked.

"Good choice! His music is awesome! Have you seen Francis?" He shouted back, looking around the semi-dark room.

"Uhhh," Alfred lifted his head, looking around before pointing. "By the drinks!"

Gilbert's head swiveled in that direction before squinting. Damn his eyesight, and the darkness didn't really help. "Thanks! I'll catch up with you, man," he said, patting Alfred's arm before wandering off towards where he thought the drinks were. Eventually he caught sight of wavy blond hair and bright red pants, recognizing Francis' outlandish color scheme. "Ach, Francis!" He called out with a smirk, edging over. As he walked up to him he could see the other was filling two glasses. "You know no one's going to be dumb enough to accept a drink from you," he said.

Francis finally looked up, and upon realizing it was Gilbert, gave the other a big grin. "Gilbert, mon ami! You clean up nicely~"

"Yeah, I know," was Gilbert's cocky response, flicking his hair to the side.

"I was going to give this to Arthur, to get him started on drinking tonight, he's much more fun when he's intoxicated, don't you think?"

"For sure," Gilbert nodded, amused. "But I doubt he'll take it from you."

"Which is why I'm so glad to see you!" Francis' eyes sparkled mischievously as he handed Gilbert one of the glasses.

"Me?" Gilbert scoffed as he tried to hand the glass back. "He won't take it from me either, besides, it's wine!"

"Oh come on, mon ami, do it for moi, oui?" Francis pulled that ridiculous puppy dog face, and Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'll try, but if he throws the drink at me, it's your fault," he grabbed a beer for himself and then went off, mock saluting Francis as best he could with his hands full. Gilbert looked around for Arthur, keeping to the edge of the room even if the music made him want to dance front and center like the awesome person he was. He caught sight of Toni, by one of the snack tables looking like he was setting down a basket of something he brought. Probably tomatoes, Gilbert noted, and that was confirmed as Toni bit into the large round fruit happily. He'd say hi once he got Arthur the wine. But wait, if Toni was there, where was Kat? Gilbert let himself look around as he walked, when suddenly he bumped into someone. Quickly, he tried to balance the drinks in his hand to be sure they didn't spill. "Verdammt…"

"Watch where you're going bastardo!"

Gilbert blinked, and finally brought his eyes to who he had just bumped into. "Katzchen!" Immediately his eyes slipped over her body. God, she was beautiful. Her full, voluminous dark hair fell down her shoulders and back, and not even her headband could keep her persistent curl from showing. Her dress was very snug, displaying her figure beautifully, and leaving most of her shoulders bare. "Red is your color, Katzchen," he murmured.

"Stop staring, you pervert! You owe me an apology for almost getting that damn drink all over me!" She snapped, crossing her arms over her full chest. "And what did I say about calling me that stupid word?!"

Ah, that fire. That was something he simply loved about her. He gave a mock bow of his head. "My apologies. Your beauty caught me off guard~." With a sudden idea, he offered the glass of wine to her. "For you."

She stared at it distastefully, and at him distrustfully.

"Come on," he said with a roll of his eyes and a smirk. "I thought Italians liked wine."

She pursed her lips and took the wine from him, so quickly she almost spilled it again, though they both said nothing about it. "Don't stereotype us."

"Alright then, Miss Defensive," he teased her, before holding up his beer in a little toast. "Happy New Year?"

Kat seemed annoyed with him, if her little sigh was anything to go by. "It's not midnight yet," she began, but when Gilbert simply raised an eyebrow she exhaled again and touched her glass to his. "Happy New Year," she muttered as she took a sip.

After Gilbert had taken a rather large gulp of his drink, he saw Kat looking around and asked, "Are you looking for something?"

Her eyes met his briefly before resuming her search. "Just Feliciana."

"She came with us, she's probably off with Ludwig somewhere on the dance floor," he told her, joining her in her search, using his height to his advantage. "Oh yeah, I see her, she's towards the back, they're dancing together."

Kat frowned and lifted herself up on her tiptoes, trying to see where Gil was referring to. Even when the man pointed, she couldn't see. Gilbert's lips pulled back into a smile and he laughed. "Sorry, forgot how short you were, Schatz."

He winced as suddenly the fiery women had smacked him in the shoulder, hard. "Ach, I guess I also forgot you're a bit stronger than you look."

Kat's annoyance faded only a bit to be replaced by a bit of smugness, as she placed a hand on her hip. "That's not something you should forget, caro~." A hair flip added to her sass, as did a sip of her wine.

Gilbert's eyebrow arched and something in his heart felt a little lighter, causing a smile of his own to fall upon his face. "Did you…Did you just give me a nickname?"

"Tch!..." Kat stepped back, caught off guard. "Wha—No, I didn't!"

"You did! You called me, uh, care oh, or something!"

Despite her embarrassment, Kat snorted and turned away. "Don't try to speak Italian, you suck at it!" She said as she walked off.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Gil frowned, about to follow her. But the quick Italian had disappeared into the crowd. With a sigh, Gilbert let it be for now, figuring he'd find her later on in the night. Spotting Antonio by the tomatoes (still), he walked over, an easy smile on his face. "Did you bring those for just yourself?" he asked.

The Spaniard looked over with a childish smile. "Gil! Oh, no they are for everybody! Here, have one!" He offered, only for the Prussian to laugh and shake his head.

"I'm good, Toni, really." Gilbert seemed to hesitate a moment before asking casually, "So uh, you came with Kat, huh?"

Antonio took another bite of his tomato before eagerly affirming. "Yes! Her dress matches the color of my tomatoes!"

Gilbert's eyes drifted down to the fruit slowly, and then back up to his friend, one eyebrow quirking upwards. "Did you tell her that?"

He nods, his smile turning into a little pout. "Yes, then she got all red like a pretty tomato in her face, and ran off. She's cute, but she hit my arm." He sighed a bit dreamily.

Gilbert couldn't help but laugh a little, when suddenly a new song came on, and Antonio's face lit up once more. "My favorite! Let's dance!" He insisted loudly, grabbing onto Gilbert's arm.

Gilbert was never one to refuse to get right into the middle of a party, and so he and Antonio headed for the dance floor, Francis eventually following, and the three of them took to being the wacky weirdos they were with their strange dances. The night continued pretty smoothly from then on, but Gilbert couldn't help but notice that Kat was avoiding Antonio full on. He'd watch as Toni actively searched for his date, and each time, Kat would magically disappear. Later in the night, close to midnight, Toni was again searching for Kat. In fact, he'd gotten Feliciana worried too, as she was seeking out her sister.

Gilbert wasn't worried, more like confused. It was odd of Kat to avoid Toni so avidly. Perhaps it was luck that he caught sight of her stunning red dress disappearing around the corner as Toni's search continued. A part of him felt like he should immediately inform his dear friend or at least Feliciana, but he found himself walking towards her without saying a word to either of them. Leaving the main room of the party, Gilbert watched Kat's silhouette move down the hallway and open a door on the left, closing it quickly behind her. Intrigued, Gilbert followed, his hands shoved in his pockets and he stopped in front of the door staring at it curiously for a moment. This didn't look like a normal room, the door was smaller. In a rather sassy manner, he knocked twice on the door. There was a quiet yelp and a curse in Italian before the door opened a crack.

"You again? Go away!" Kat said, opening the door just a little farther to check to see if he was with anyone else. When she saw there were no other threats, she went to close the door again, but Gilbert immediately put his foot between the door and its hinge. Which, ow, hurt, because she was trying to slam the door.

"Katzchen! Just hold on a second, alright?"

"If my damn sister or that jerk Antonio needs me tell them I'm not here! And you're the last person I want to see, now go!" Kat started yelling.

"Aw come now, I'd say what you need right now is a little bit of awesomeness." He flashed her a suggestive smirk, as he edged the door open and slipped inside, closing the door behind him and keeping his back pressed to it.

"What are you doing you bastardo?!" She exclaimed.

Gilbert held his finger up to his lips and shushed her. "Calm down, katz, I just want to figure out what's wrong with you, alright? Wha…What are you doing in a broom closet anyway?"

Kat took a step back in the very small space, since she and Gilbert were nearly chest to chest it was so cramped. She nearly bumped into some things that were hard to see due to the dim lighting. "I just needed some time to think, okay?" She said, crossing her arms very firmly across her chest and glaring up at him. If Gilbert's eyes were better or the lighting brighter, he'd be more confident in saying that she looked like she was blushing.

"Did something happen between you and Toni?" Gilbert asked bluntly, his head tilting to the side ever so lightly as he tried to get a better look at her expressions.

"Tch! No," she snapped, too quickly. Almost defensively. Scratch that, _quite_ defensively. "It's none of your business, now get out of here, or I'll scream!"

Gilbert raised both hands in mock surrender. "C'mon Katzchen," his voice was suddenly much gentler than usual. "You've been avoiding him all night."

Kat looked like she was ready to deny it, and go into another defensive rant, but seemed to want to try a new strategy. "I have my reasons, now if you please," she gestured at the door impatiently, but Gilbert didn't budge.

"What happened?" Gilbert frowned, trying to discern what could make the girl act so odd.

"Nothing important," she snapped, stepping forward, but Gilbert maneuvered his body in front of the door knob.

With a sickening lurch, his mind gave him a terrible idea. "Did he, I mean maybe he didn't know, but, harm you?" Toni would never even hurt a fly these days, but he could be painfully oblivious. Especially in the department of vague answers. He might have misread a 'not tonight' signal from Kat…Could he? He could see it now, the poor fool didn't even know, and Kat hadn't had the courage to outright say no. "Oh Gott, no Kat, he should've known better, what an idiot!"

"What? No, no, idiota," Kat's cheeks blazed red again and she smacked him in the arm for the second time that night, earning a wince from him. "Toni would never do that to me!"

"Well, I know that, but you were avoiding him and I thought—" Gilbert gestured into the air, as if it were an obvious train of thought.

"I was avoiding him because he was confusing me!" She hissed.

Gilbert gave her an exasperated look, leaning down so their faces were closer. "Confusing you about what? Does that even warrant you leaving him alone all night?"

Kat's temper was rising, as she leaned up (perhaps on her tiptoes) to try to feel more in control. "Well how can I possibly think when he's always clinging to me and hugging me and kissing me?"

"Wow, you're actually upset about having a caring boyfriend?" Gilbert snorted.

"He's NOT my boyfriend!"

They both paused at that, and Gilbert raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the door in mild awe of the latest development. "So you don't have feelings for him."

Kat, was looking around desperately as if the room would give her the words she needed to backtrack, and her fists were clenched at her side. "That's not what I-Well I did, but something else got in the way!"

Gilbert crossed his arms, finding this conversation to still be very much beating around the bush and frankly, confusing. "What?"

"You!"

The words were out of Kat's mouth before she could stop them, and before Gilbert could even register what she had said she went off on a rant. "I was perfectly fine being with Antonio and being with him was good and right and perfect! And then you come along," she hissed, as if he were some sort of murderer. "And you look at me with those stupid bright eyes and smug face, and, and…" She gestured at his clothing. "You wear stuff like that, and you just, look…like…that! And it's not fair!" There was definitely a stomp of her foot. "It's not fair to Toni, or me, or anyone. Stop looking at me like that! Bastardo!"

Indeed, Gilbert's jaw had dropped in shock, and a major part of him wondered if Kat was lying. After all, if she had liked him, it would seem more in character for her to blush and deny anything. But here she was, blurting out truth, well, screaming it practically. "So…It's….my fault," he pointed at himself for good measure. "That you like me?"

"I don't- I never said—Well everything is your fault!" Kat insisted, sounding quite ridiculous as she was overly flustered from having admitted so much.

"Well, I am awesome," Gilbert said, and it was really only because he had no other words to contain his shock, and was therefore reverting to his comfort zone. He was trying to take it as an ego stroke, even though his heart was beating faster in joy and also confliction, thinking of Antonio and the man's love for Kat.

"You!" Kat seemed lost for words, and apparently, wanted to find a new outlet for her anger, because suddenly she'd grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him down, her lips crashing onto his. Gilbert's eyes widened in utter shock and surprise, and before he knew it she had pulled back, glaring up at him. "You potato bastard," she whispered, before forcefully tugging him away from the door and edging out of it.

Gilbert was too in shock to stop her, and then was too late when he finally came to his senses. Kat had just kissed him! She had sworn at him, and blamed him for taking her affections away from Antonio. Kat liked him? Despite everything, the thought made Gilbert's heart leap. Kat liked him, even if she didn't like that she liked him. Even if she possibly still had some feelings for Toni.

This was a bit of a mess. Kind of like Kat, he thought with a smile, leaning against the closed door once again, his fingers brushing his lips as he remembered her taste and feel. In the distance he could hear the countdown for New Years and then cheering. With a small laugh, Gilbert noted that Kat had given him a New Years kiss. "Happy New Year Katzchen, we'll figure something out," he murmured quietly to himself.


	2. Ostalgie- RuPru

Ostalgie: A German term which refers to nostalgia for aspects of life in East Germany during the time of the Soviet Union and during the Berlin Wall.

Ivan Braginski was a psychotic dangerous idiot, according to Julchen Beilschmidt. The adjective psychotic came from the man's faux innocent smile, and his obsession with trying to make every country become one with him. The title of dangerous was given to him for his intimidating strength, and the use of Mr. Pipe. The term idiot was thrust upon him by Julchen due to his strange obsession with following her and talking to her and calling her his 'friend'. She'd told him time and time again to leave her alone, and even Ludwig had stepped up and asked Ivan to back off a few times. After all, the time of the Soviet Union had come and gone, and Julchen was now simply East Germany, living with Ludwig.

And boy Julchen didn't miss that time, and having Ivan pop up to constantly remind her of it was not fun. Therefore, she was a little apprehensive of the upcoming world meeting. It was to be held in Germany this week, and honestly she wasn't even going to go. But hosting the world meeting in their country meant that everyone would be around whether she went to the meeting or not. Ivan was going to show up sometime soon, she just knew it. To get her mind off of the idea, she went out to stock up on beer.

"I'm leaving, Luddy! Be back soon!" She called out as she pulled on a pair of boots and her warm black coat. She hardly got a response from her brother who was so involved in preparations for the meeting. Another grievance of hers, she tried so hard to keep him from working too hard. Perhaps it would help if she did more of her own paperwork for the East, but…That was besides the point.

Stepping out of the house she strategically let her hair fall around her to keep her ears and cheeks warmer, breathing in the cool winter air. The walk was already refreshing to her; she hadn't realized she felt like she was suffocating from her own worry, and that was super unawesome. A small smile came to her lips as she began to feel more like herself again. She began humming her awesome personal theme song to herself as she made her way to the store. Once there she made her way over to the beer and made quick work of buying two six packs. It was always good to be able to stock up. She'd noticed that they were down to a single six pack at home, and that would just be gone much too soon between the two of them. But as she was ready to leave, a song came over the speakers in the store, one that Julchen hadn't heard in years.

" _Smile, though your heart is aching. Smile even though it's breaking. When there are clouds in the sky, you'll get by…"_

Instantly her mind brought her a quick flashback.

 _Ivan, standing over her as she sat by the wall, crying. He had pulled her up gently for once and had taken her hand. "You need to learn to smile, sunflower," He'd said, before he turned the radio on and that song had come on. And the words had comforted her as her heart pined for her brother._

Julchen finally snapped out of it, out of the bittersweet strange feeling she'd just had. She couldn't put words to describe what she was feeling, but knew it was wrong, and so pushed it from her mind and exited the store. She walked at a steady pace, trying to get away from the echo of the music in her mind. She rounded a corner too quickly, and ran into a wall. Oh, no, it was a person. She stumbled, but gloved hands reached out and steadied her.

"You are going really fast, no?" The thick Russian accent was unmistakable.

Great. The last person Julchen wanted to see at this moment. She slowly looked up; he was so tall, and still wearing the same stupid coat. "Ivan. I didn't expect you here so soon. The meeting's not for another few days."

The Russian man's mouth was semi-hidden by his scarf, but the rest of his face was entirely expressive. Amusement was in his eyes, and curiosity in the raised brow. "Is there a problem, Julchen?"

Julchen was silent a moment, before she pursed her lips and firmly pushed his hands off of her arms, where he was still gripping her as if she'd fall if he let go. "No, I'm fine. Enjoy your stay, I have to go." That was a tactic Ludwig tried to tell her to use. 'Say something nice, and then excuse yourself, maybe then he'll go away.'

"Let me help you," Ivan said before she could move far, taking hold of her arm to stop her and then taking one of the bags from her.

"Nein, that's not necessary," Julchen tried to protest, grabbing onto the bag he'd taken.

"I am simply trying to return your hospitality," he said with that dumb faux innocent smile. "After all you and your brother are hosting world meeting and that is a lot of work for you both, da? So I help you now."

Julchen was a little caught off guard by what he'd said. "Ach…Ja, but Ludwig wants it all done a certain way, so he ends up re-doing anything I do," she said, slowly accepting he was going to walk her home. At least he'd probably leave afterwards and if not, Ludwig would be in the house with her too, so it's not like she'd have to be alone with him for long. "Follow me," she said with a sigh of resignation, beginning to walk back down the street.

Ivan kept in step with her and she could feel him glancing at her even if she kept her gaze straight ahead. "He is most peculiar."

It took her a moment to piece together he was still talking about Ludwig. "He's just a perfectionist," she corrected.

There was silence for a long few moments, and Julchen would've been happy to have that silence continue for the entirety of their walk. However, Ivan decided to speak up again. "Have you missed me?"

What a jerk. He'd said that plenty of times before, and she'd just brushed it off, but at this particular moment it sent a chill up her spine. After all, she'd just been thinking about her time with him moments before she saw him. "Dummkopf," she said after a delayed moment. "How can I miss you when you never leave me alone?"

"So you would miss me if I left for long time?" Ivan asked, as if it were a complicated equation he was trying to figure out.

"Nein!" Julchen huffed, rolling her eyes. "You're too unawesome to ever miss." She refrained from any harsher insults at the moment, because well, frankly, he'd already heard that from her many times.

Ivan actually laughed, a softer sound than usual, which took Julchen by surprise as she hesitantly looked over at him. He was looking right back at her, violet eyes glimmering. "You are very cute when you lie."

Julchen's expression turned dark and she paused, nearly stomping her foot. "I'm not lying! I've told you a thousand times to leave me alone because I don't want to be near you!" She noted that many a passerby had paused at the sudden outburst, but she didn't really care.

Ivan leaned down so his face was closer to hers and murmured. "You are good at attracting attention, sunflower."

That nickname again. Just like in her memories. And just like that, another memory surfaced.

 _Ivan, standing and looking out the window, solemn and broken. It was right before Julchen left, when everyone else had already gone. Ivan would be more alone than when he started. She had watched him with an odd feeling, wondering what was keeping her from leaving right away. And just as she finally turned to go he'd called out, 'Do you know why I called you my sunflower, Julchen?'_

 _And she didn't have to stop and listen, but she did. She'd turned back and asked, 'Because it annoyed me?'_

 _A small upturn of his lips as he turned towards her looking so defeated. 'No. It is because you are so bright. Anyone who is around you is lucky indeed.'_

"Julchen?"

The snow haired woman blinked, coming out of her daze once again. "Ah…Why are you still here?" She finally said, frowning as she started walking again. Ivan followed after her, catching up with no trouble at all. "We're almost there anyway."

"Are you feeling alright?" the Russian asked, and there was genuine concern in his voice, even if Julchen wanted to deny it.

"Fine," she nodded curtly, finally walking up to her house and fishing in her pocket for the keys.

"You don't seem fine," he said bluntly, watching as she fiddled with the keys in the lock.

"Maybe that's because I have a Russian stalker," she said bluntly, cursing as she couldn't quite get the keys to turn into the lock.

Ivan ignored her comment, instead carefully pushing her hand out of the way and properly unlocking the door for her. The ease with which he did so of course only made Julchen huff and move into the house. "Take your shoes off, if you track mud into the kitchen Ludwig will be pissed."

She kicked her own boots off quickly, throwing them against the matt and moving to the kitchen, expecting Ivan to find his way. She focused on taking the beer out of the bag and restocking the fridge. She noted when Ivan entered the kitchen with the other bag, and immediately began talking to him. "You know, I don't know why you're so obsessed with me." She started. Ivan said nothing, seemingly resigning himself to another of her rants as he placed the second bag on the counter. "You have plenty of other nations that you've had a history with that you could bother, but you seem to spend most of your time bothering me, and it's not funny. I'm getting really tired of it. It's not awesome and it's annoying. I don't want to remember the crap that happened when I was with you—"

"You don't?"

Julchen paused, looking at him as if he were an utter idiot. "Of course not! That was a terrible time! My country was divided and destroyed, I was separated from my brother and from all the people I cared about, and I had no free will!" She watched him, and as much of an idiot as he was, she could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to process words that she'd said to him over and over again in the past.

"What I am not understanding then, is why you are remembering things that make you happy."

Julchen raised an eyebrow, confused. "What the hell are you talking about, Ivan?"

He tilted his head, giving her that stupid innocent look. "When you bumped into me. When I called you sunflower, the look you got in your eyes."

Another chill ran up her back and she sort of froze in her spot. "How did you…" She trailed off, eyes wide.

"I tell you a secret," Ivan said after a thoughtful moment, moving over and resting his arms on the edge of the counter. Julchen didn't move away, too intrigued. "When you and everybody left, I was feeling very alone."

Julchen found it hard to keep such intense eye contact; it was so unusual for Ivan to open up, especially about this. "General Winter appeared to me and gave me strange gift. At the time, I thought it was a curse." He reached out and took Julchen's hand, placing it over his heart. She let him, but watched him cautiously. "He told me that when someone misses me, misses their time with me, my heart would tell me. For long long time, my heart was still and quiet and cold." He paused, his eyes on her. "But then you missed me. And I could tell, because my heart felt warm again. Warm like you always made me feel, sunflower."

Julchen looked from his eyes to her hand and back again, trying to take in his words. She went to speak again, to protest and make excuses and accuse him of lying, but he spoke before she could. "In the store, you were thinking of me, I felt it. So I came to see you. What made you think of me then?"

Julchen pulled her hand away, despite Ivan's semi firm grip on it. She'd heard stranger things if she was to be completely honest, and due to her time with Ivan she didn't exactly doubt General Winter's existence. And as she thought more about it, it made more and more sense. How Ivan always seemed to pop up out of nowhere. It was always right after she thought about him. Always when she was remembering something. Not the bad times, but those bittersweet moments, or the ones where she felt a connection with him. She slowly put away the rest of the beer, feeling Ivan's eyes burning into her back.

"Smile," she finally said, quietly.

Ivan was silent a moment, before asking, "What?"

She turned back to him, meeting his questioning gaze. "The song. Smile. It came on at the store. That's why I was thinking about you."

Slowly, the Russian's lips pulled into a small smile. "Yes. Smile. I listened to that song many times after you were gone."

"Because it was your turn to learn how to smile again?" She asked quietly, watching as Ivan nodded slowly, his smile bittersweet.

"It was very hard."

At that moment, Julchen's heart swelled with compassion for the other, knowing personally how hard it was to smile when you felt so alone. Even if in her opinion it was Ivan's fault she had felt so alone in the first place. For a moment, she wished she had stayed a moment longer back then, at the destruction of the Soviet Union. That instead of simply thanking him for his strange compliment and walking out, that she would've gone over and hugged him. An odd feeling, but nonetheless real.

Ivan was watching her intently, and she knew for sure he could sense her sudden yearning. It was so strange and Julchen felt guilty for feeling as she did. Why should she miss that terrible time, and after all that Ivan put her through? It wasn't like he was always nice to her, in fact he'd been pretty cruel often enough. There were still plenty of misgivings Julchen had, and things that Ivan had done that she had trouble forgiving. There were also things Julchen had done to Ivan in the far past. Their history was complicated and so was their relationship now.

"I guess that kind of makes that our song, huh?" She said after a long moment, tilting her head ever so slightly to the left.

"Our song?" Ivan repeated, blinking a few times.

She nodded, a small smirk pulling at her lips. "Ja. When I hear that song, I think of you, and when you hear it, you think of the awesome me. Therefore, it's our song."

Another pause. "I thought you would be denying anything to do with putting us together."

She actually snorted, rolling her eyes as she moved around to counter to be directly beside him, poking his arm. "Listen, don't get any ideas. I just…I guess we both miss each other sometimes, ja?"

She looked up at him as he turned to face her properly. He seemed to be having trouble comprehending what she was saying, but eventually he said, "Da…You are right."

"Stop staring at me like a dummkopf," she said finally, and that emotional bittersweet yearning was still present in her heart, or else she might not have done what she did next. She put her misgivings aside and let herself remember the good memories, quickly thrusting her arms out and wrapping them around the big Russian's middle. Ivan stiffened in surprise, but Julchen didn't step back, keeping her cheek pressed against his chest.

Slowly, Ivan let his arms encircle her in return, almost awestruck as one hand gently brushed through her hair.

Julchen didn't know how long they would've kept hugging, but she heard Ludwig approaching and immediately detached herself from Ivan. She almost laughed aloud at his expression, he looked as dumbfounded as they come.

"Jules, I need you to-Oh." Ludwig frowned, looking up from the pile of work he was about to hand off to his sister to see Ivan in his kitchen. "Ah, welcome Ivan…I didn't know you were coming over…" The blond looked over at Julchen, his expression clearly asking if she wanted him to kick the man out. Julchen gave a quick shake of her head before Ivan spoke up, finally out of his daze.

"I just was helping Julchen carry some things. I will be on my way now."

"Ach, well danke. We will see you at the meeting," Ludwig smiled a bit tightly, walking Ivan towards the door. Julchen found herself following and watching as Ivan put his boots back on. He was glancing at Julchen repeatedly and she felt like he wanted to tell her something.

"Luddy, can we have a moment," Julchen said quietly. Ludwig nearly did a double take, glancing at her as she gave him an insistent expression.

But finally he obliged. "Uh, ja, of course…See you soon, Ivan."

Ivan gave a nod and then he and Julchen waited until Ludwig was gone. Once he was, Ivan gazed around the room as if it would give him the words he wanted to say, before finally looking back at her. "I guess I am wanting to say thank you."

"I didn't do anything," Julchen said softly as they stood in the doorway.

"That is another lie, sunflower," he said, his tone teasing.

Julchen feigned annoyance. "I don't lie, I'm too awesome for that."

"Well, your awesomeness…" Ivan began, and Julchen almost laughed, remembering how she had demanded he call her that in their youth. "Perhaps we can do as Alfred calls it uhm, 'the hanging out' while I am here, da?"

That took Julchen by surprise, but after a moment of thinking it over, she nodded slowly, leaning into the door frame. "Ja. Maybe. Nothing too serious though. Just lunch."

Ivan brightened significantly at her acceptance, and she noted that he was the one resembling a sunflower at the moment. "Da. Sounds good."

"Gute," Julchen returned. "Goodbye Ivan."

"Don't forget to smile," Ivan said as he finally turned and began to walk off.

And as Julchen closed the door, as all her emotions came back full force, part of her regretting accepting and part of her looking forward to it, she managed to smile, as another two lines of that song fell into her head.

' _Smile and maybe tomorrow, you'll see the sun come shining through for you.'_


	3. West Side Story- Spamano

**A/N: This is loosely based on West Side Story, and yes there is Spamano, but that relationship is more the Bernardo/Anita relationship. The Tony/Maria relationship is a surprise, because, well, this ship is a strange ship. Lastly, the two gangs are the Allies (All 1ps) and the 2ps.**

"Hurry up, Felicia, we're going to be late!" Katarina's annoyed voice carried through the bathroom door, causing Felicia to jump in surprise.

"Just a minute, sorella!" She whined, focusing on putting her earrings back in quickly. They looked nice, but the little handle on the back was bent so putting them in always took some effort. Finally satisfied, she straightened out her short cream colored dress and opened the door. "Do I look okay?"

The older of the two gave Felicia a critical once over before a small smile replaced her expression. "Bellisima," she complimented.

"Grazie…And you look…uh," Felicia trailed off, giggling. "Too sexy."

"Che?" Katarina looked down, examining her own outfit again. The dress covered more than enough, she thought.

"It's so tight, can you even move?"

Kat pouted and placed a hand on her hip. "I can move and dance!" She insisted, doing a spin for show. The red dress was skin tight until the hips, where the material became a little more forgiving, but it still clung to her curves prominently. "Alright, whatever, let's go. And remember—" 

Felicia rolled her eyes, "Don't talk to any creepy guys, stay in sight of either you or someone else from the Allies." Kat nodded firmly, and the two girls walked downstairs where Francis was waiting to escort them.

"Ohonhon, don't you two look lovely~ I'm sure no one will be able to keep their eyes off of you tonight."

"Stop staring, pervert, and let's just go to this dance," Kat snapped, shoving Francis' arm.

"She seems rather impatient, non?" Francis asked Felicia with a teasing smile, as she took his arm. "Perhaps she wants Antonio's opinion on her dress."

"Sta zitto, bastardo!" Kat swore at the Frenchman, moving ahead by a few paces as Felicia silently giggled.

Soon enough the three of them arrived at the gym where the dance was to be held, the music was audible before they even entered the room. Even still, Alfred's voice rang loud and clear when they entered. "There they are! We thought Francis was trying to get friendly with you two or something!"

The trio reached Alfred, Francis shaking his head at him. "You think so low of me, mon ami!"

"Well, you are a pervert," Kat chimed in, making Alfred laugh obnoxiously.

"Ay, mi gato!"

Instantly Kat began blushing as Antonio made his way over, beaming at Kat and gently taking her hand to turn her in a circle. "Incredible! You look fantastica! And your face is as red as your dress!"

That earned the Spaniard a smack on the shoulder. The pouting man then turned to Felicia with a charming smile. "And of course Feli, you look beautiful too."

"And what about me?!" Came Francis' indignant teasing response, making everyone laugh.

"We all now I'm the most good looking,-" Alfred's arrogant comment was cut off by Gilbert coming over and coughing significantly.

"Uhh, not to bring the awesome mood down, but take a look at who just walked in."

The group glanced over, instantly going tense. It was the Second Players, or the 2ps, who had entered. "What are they doing here?" Matthew asked, with obvious distaste in his voice. Everyone jumped a little, as they'd forgotten he was even there.

"Well, this is technically neutral territory," Antonio said hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"But why else would rivals show up to an event they weren't invited to? They probably want a fight," Francis pointed out.

"Bring 'em!" was Gilbert's immediate response.

"No, no!"

"Yeah!"

The mixed responses were stalled when Alfred interrupted with his hands out. "Wait, wait, let's talk to them okay? Ludwig, Arthur!" Alfred called over the last two members of their gang, filling them in. "We got to find out what they want."

Eventually, Ludwig was elected to go over and talk to the others. Felicia looked nervous as he walked over. The majority of the other gang fell silent and turned to watch Ludwig cross the invisible barrier between groups. He did pause a bit away from them, and his eyes examined their stance to see if they meant harm or not.

Now this group was strange in and of itself, and sometimes it was impossible to tell what they had planned and why they did things the way they did. While the head of the Allies was mainly Alfred, the head of this group was strangely a small and petite man/boy named Oliver. A boy like this had only worked his way up to leader by being ruthless. No one dared make fun of him for his pale pinkish hair, freckles, or affinity for pastel clothing and baking. If one did, you'd meet one of his many knives. As for the rest of the group, not as much was known about them. Al and Mattie were rumored to be violent and untouchable. Al never left the house without a baseball bat with nails on the end, while Mattie favored a hockey stick covered in barbed wire. Gilen was a silent expressionless man, with a prosthetic arm that he was rumored to use to choke others. Andres was an uncouth man who was sharp and too intelligent for his own good. Flavio and Luciano were twins, Flavio a flamboyant man who was too attentive to his clothes. Luciano also favored knives, much like Oliver, but had an even worse temper. Jean, like Gilen was silent, and never seemed to do anything. The two women of the group were Emily and Madelyn. Emily was as much of a tomboy as they come, and as violent as the whole group put together. Madelyn was tough, but more feminine looking.

That was about the extent of the knowledge the others had about the group. Ludwig waited quietly for someone from the group to come over. The 2ps whispered among each other, Oliver smiling in a quite strange manner. There was a small discussion, and then Gilen slowly walked over, and the whole room held its breath as Gilen and Ludwig talked too low for anyone to hear. Everyone knew that one false move and the entire place could erupt in a deadly fight. But after a few minutes, Ludwig and Gilen both nodded and walked back over to their respective groups.

"No tricks, it's neutral territory," Ludwig said as the group gathered around him. "I think they probably just want to spy on us, but I don't think we should let it bother us."

"Not let it bother us?" Gilbert was frowning. "They expect us to just let them stay here?"

"They probably have weapons on them!" Kat added.

"So, let them start the fight if they want it, then they'll be the ones to blame," was Alfred's comment. "Allies never start fights."

Their conversation was cut off once again as the band started up the music again and there seemed to be noise from the other group. Looking over, Flavio and Madelyn had taken to the dance floor, bringing all the attention to themselves. One had to admit that the two made a smart looking couple. Flavio was dressed in a white suit with a pink scarf to accent it and add a flash of color. His strange curl peaked out over his tinted glasses and as he took Madelyn in hand, and he moved with the grace of a true dancer. Madelyn, just as blond as Flavio, and in a beautiful deep green dress that rested above her knees, held herself like a true lady and was hard to miss.

"They wanna dance? Let's show them how we Allies dance," Alfred said, getting a nod of approval from everyone.

"Alfred you go!"

"No, no, Antonio go!"

There was a chorus of agreement and then Antonio grabbed Kat's hand and brought her out to the dance floor too. Kat, who would normally be embarrassed by such open touching in front of people, was fueled by her competitive spirit now instead. Who were these idiots to come here and try to flaunt their apparent superiority? She'd show them. And admittedly, Antonio was the best dancer they had, at least in the fluidity aspect.

Both couples stared off for a moment, before Flavio mockingly offered out his hand, as if to generously allow the others to start first. Antonio took it gracefully, mock bowing and placing a hand over his heart, before placing his hand out. Kat confidently placed her hand in his and then fell into the natural movements of following Antonio as a dancer. He was akin to an artist when it came to dance. His first moves displayed his beautiful partner, twirling her around, out and into him, and even he noticed the stares she got from both sides of the gym.

Flavio mirrored Antonio's desire, but gave Madelyn more freedom in her movements, allowing her to add flair with her arms or extra steps here and there as she was guided around Flavio. Once they'd finished their set of moves they both looked over at the other couple arrogantly. However, that look only made Antonio and Kat more determined as they shared a look and nodded slowly. As the music took off, so did their feet. With Antonio's arm around her waist they moved forward and backwards in sync and then side to side, never faltering. They separated only to spin in time with each other and then Toni's hands were back on her waist as the both faced the same direction, moving across the floor. Their sequence ended with Kat spinning to face Toni and him dipping her and rotating her around in an almost complete circle.

All eyes then turned to Flavio and Madelyn once more. They faced each other in a more traditional position and moved around the room in step with the jazzy music, occasionally spinning Maddie, whereupon she would do a kick of some sort and earn loud cheers from the rest of her gang. Flavio then pulled Madelyn close so his leg was nearly in between her legs as he created a fluid looking movement much like they were one and part of a river. Once Madelyn stepped and turned off of Flavio's leg and twirled, Antonio and Kat took over.

The music took a turn and became much sultrier, and they both used that to their advantage. Antonio gave a hint of his magnificent hip movements, as Kat rotated her hips slowly in front of Antonio. Catcalls came from both sides, but most of the cheering of course came from the Allies. Kat ended their turn by sliding down and up Antonio's body, one hand reaching up to course through his hair as she did so. The pair looked incredibly sexy at that moment, and Antonio even looked a little breathless from Kat's movements, or maybe it was just from the tiring movements of the dance, who truly knew?

Again the music shifted, a faster, more intense tempo. And this time both couples danced at the same time. Twirls, spins, matching footwork, out, in, both couples moved dizzingly fast around the floor. Cheering was nearly as loud as the music from both sides. It was hard to say which couple was performing better. Flavio and Madelyn complimented each other perfectly, while Antonio and Kat danced as one. Kat's movements kept her close to Antonio and showed off her curves, while Madelyn was more showy, moving around more. Flavio made any movement look natural, and one could bet that he could easily cover a mistake as an improvised move, such was the grace and talent of his dancing. Antonio was also a natural, and it was the game changer when he swung Kat around his sides and then had her on the floor, him standing over her while moving those ever fluid hips. More cheers erupted, and Antonio and Kat knew they had taken the show as he lifted her back up and they ended with a few twirls, more hip shaking and then Kat falling into Antonio's arms for a dip.

As the music finally stopped and there was applause from the Allies, Antonio breathlessly helped Kat up and walked over to the other couple. "Muy bien, amigo," he offered kindly, holding out his hand for Flavio to shake.

However, the two blonds just looked at him distastefully and walked away. "Ah, lo siento," Antonio said loudly, enough so that everyone in the room could hear him. He slung his arm over Kat's shoulder as he added, "Didn't know you'd be such a sore loser."

Flavio froze and a tension filled the room. Antonio was the only one who seemed oblivious to it, with his big smile, but Kat knew he was purposefully pushing the other. "Toni," she murmured in a warning tone, but the Spaniard didn't back down.

"Excuse me?" Flavio said, and his voice was lighter, airier than one would think. His head tilted to the side ever so slightly, but sharply, and Madelyn watched him with a keen eye, staying put even as Flavio walked towards Antonio.

"You heard me," Toni said calmly. "A real man would accept a loss."

That seemed to be a sore spot for Flavio, as he immediately whipped out a knife and held it up to Antonio's neck. There was a collective gasp, all of the Allies standing at attention, and Kat freezing up. Antonio was apparently an idiot, because he smiled as if there wasn't a weapon against his throat. "Did I hit a nerve?"

"Flavio."

The firm, powerful voice came from Oliver. "We promised to play nice," he said sternly.

After a long moment, Flavio walked away, and Kat instantly tugged Antonio back towards their group.

Amidst the bustle of worry and concern over Antonio and whether the armed 2ps could be trusted, the music started up again and this time a few of the 2ps danced on one side and a few of the Allies did too, once they realized Antonio was okay. Each group kept a watchful eye on the other, however, and there was an uncomfortable tension.

Felicia, for one, was a little scared at what had happened and found she wanted to go home. But of course, she wasn't allowed to go home unless someone went with her, and no one was ready to go home yet. So she stayed by the wall, pouting and listening to the music.

She noticed that Flavio seemed still sort of on edge about what had happened, and Madelyn and the rest of the 2ps had sort of left him to himself. That was different from the Allies, how they all fawned over Antonio even if he was completely fine. Felicia frowned, trying to think about that. Did the 2ps not care about each other as much as the Allies? After all, a gang was supposed to be like a family, the only people who are always there for you. With a shrug, she moved over towards the middle of the room, where there were some snacks set out.

Oliver examined the gym with a critical eye. It was a bit tiring, he'd have to admit, making sure both sides played nice. Flavio's little temper tantrum hadn't been a part of the plan, but then again, his losing the impromptu dance contest hadn't either. But still, it provided enough of a distraction for him to sneak a plate of cupcakes onto the snack table without anyone noticing. There were a few choice ones that had a little something special in them. He saw someone out of the corner of his eye begin to approach the table and with a grin, turned to see who the unfortunate soul would be.

A radiant angel approached the table, full of innocence and beauty and…goodness. Her beautiful cream dress outlining her pale skin and her beautiful auburn hair. Her big brown eyes looking towards his cupcakes.

No, no. His cupcakes were for the vile creatures of the Allies, not innocent angelic beings. He crossed the floor in record time, and gently took the perfect woman's wrist. She gasped softly in surprise, and looked up at him with those expressive, worried brown eyes. "O-Oh. It's you," she said quietly, shrinking back into herself.

Oliver felt a sort of weight fall onto his shoulders. She was afraid of him. "Forgive me my dear, I don't mean you any harm." He released her wrist, his face crestfallen. He went to turn away, only to pause when the redhead spoke in her melodious voice.

"I like your outfit."

Oliver paused, but he didn't sense any sort of sarcasm in her statement. Even if Al and Mattie had both made derogatory comments about his current bright pink sweater vest, and blue bowtie. "You do?"

When he looked over, she was blushing softly and nodding. "I love pastels. Um. My name is Felicia," she offered her hand.

Oliver tilted his head very carefully to the side, examining her, before he seemed to come to his senses. He took her hand, but instead of shaking it, leaned down and kissed the back of it. "It's a pleasure to meet you Felicia. I'm Oliver, though you seem to already know that."

Felicia actually giggled, any fear from before draining away. "It's nice to meet you, Oliver." Once their hands separated, she reached again for a cupcake, one that Oliver knew had that…little something extra in it.

"Uh, if I may," he took her hand once again to stop her, before picking out one of the ones that he knew were normal. "The pink frosting suits you much better, cherry is your flavor, I can tell."

Felicia took it without worry but looked semi-curious. "How do you know the flavors?"

"I made them." He couldn't even scold himself for giving this away to one of the members of the Allies. She could ask him anything and he'd divulge his darkest secrets. He couldn't lie to her, this magnificent creature.

"You made them?" Her eyes widened and a smile lit up her entire face, much like the sun breaking through on a cloudy day. She took an immediate bite, quick enough that she got a bit of frosting on her nose. "Oh wow…" She stared at the cupcake and then at him in awe. "This is the best thing I've ever tasted!"

Oliver's heart soared. When had someone ever praised his baking like that? He knew people liked it, but most of his own gang avoided it because they knew what he liked to put in some of them. "You really like it?"

"Of course I do!" She nodded eagerly, taking another bite.

Oliver chuckled as she just got more frosting on her nose. "Here," he took a napkin and very carefully wiped the frosting off, smiling as she giggled. He lingered close to her even after he finished, and Felicia couldn't seem to look away from him, her breath hitching.

"Can I say something?" she said quietly.

"Of course," he said immediately. Anything she asked, it was hers.

"You won't get mad?"

"Never." How could he get mad at a goddess?

"I thought all the 2ps were terrible people, but, you don't seem so terrible." She whispered, smiling bashfully, looking down as if ashamed for thinking so.

Oliver carefully pulled her chin up, the action instinctive. "I've heard some terrible things about you Allies, too, you know."

"Really?" Felicia looked honestly clueless to some of the fights and goings on in her own gang, the threats the 2ps received from the Allies, even if the feeling was mutual. She truly was so innocent and naïve.

"Felicia, I—" Oliver stepped forward, and it seemed as if he was going to perhaps try to kiss her, only to stop as there was a scream.

Both Felicia and Oliver turned, to see that a fight had broken out. It was hard to see who had hit who first, or even who was involved. They caught sight of Antonio and Flavio, but there was also Al, Mattie, Gilbert, and Ludwig, though Ludwig looked like he was trying to break the fight apart more than anything.

"Oh sugar," Oliver sighed. "Felicia, I, I have to take care of this," and he was gone before Felicia even blinked.

She turned and watched as Oliver grabbed first Al and Mattie by the collars. She didn't quite hear what he said to them, but they both instantly stopped. In turn, Ludwig was able to pull Gilbert back at least, and at last everyone could see Flavio and Antonio had gotten the brunt of the injuries and action. Flavio's face was swelling and Antonio had blood running down his jaw. However, as Oliver placed a hand on Flavio's shoulder, Alfred did the same to Antonio.

"I had thought we could've behaved like civilized human beings," Oliver said tightly, and his comment was directed to both Antonio and Flavio.

"Who's the one who brought the knife again?" Antonio asked.

"He's right. This is neutral territory, you crossed a line with that," Alfred nodded.

"I stopped the fight, he's the one who came after me again," was Flavio's argument.

Antonio made to go at Flavio again, and Flavio tensed up to receive it, but both their leaders held them back and Oliver spoke firmly. "Well. Perhaps we've overstayed our welcome," he said in a sickly sweet voice. "Let's head out," he said loud enough for everyone to hear. Immediately the entire group of 2ps started getting ready to go and head out. Alfred, Antonio, and the rest of the Allies stayed put until the others left.

The whole time Felicia's eyes watched Oliver and as he walked out of the door, she thought quickly, sneaking out of the back door and waiting for the group to come around. As the 2ps passed she stayed still, and thankfully, Oliver was trailing behind last, probably to be sure none of the 2ps tried to get back in and finish a fight. "Oliver!" Felicia called out, and the petite man looked over. With a glance at his gang, he then quickly moved over to the woman.

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you be inside?" he looked around, his voice in a low whisper.

She nodded, taking his hands carefully, to the male's surprise. "I just, uh, wanted to see if we could see each other again?"

The two fell silent, and Oliver instantly tried to think it over. "It's dangerous," he began, but right as Felicia's head dropped he continued. "But perhaps we could meet tomorrow in the park? In the late afternoon?"

Instantly Felicia brightened, her heart pounding with excitement. "Yes, yes!" 

He shushed her, as her voice carried down the alleyway. "Meet me by the big oak tree, you know the one?"

She nodded, trying hard to contain her elation. Oliver felt nearly the same, squeezing her hands. "I'll be there at three," she said.

Their matching smiles displayed their satisfaction with the plans and Oliver heard his name being called in the distance. "Alright, until then…And Felicia?"

"Yes, Oliver?"

Quickly, Oliver pressed his lips to the beautiful Italian's. It was a chaste kiss and as soon as he broke from it he was running to meet up with whoever had called him. Felicia's shocked expression turned into bliss as she watched him go, leaning against the wall for support. "Oliver," she said, quietly to herself. "What a beautiful name."


End file.
